Elijah Tillery
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| Elijah Tillery | |
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Carlton Elijah Tillery |
| Nickname(s) | Phoenix Steel |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Nationality | American |
| Birth date | 1957-08-08 |
| Birth place | Staten Island, NY, U.S. |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 30 |
| Wins | 23 |
| Wins by KO | 15 |
| Losses | 7 |
| Draws | 2 |
| No contests | 0 |
Carlton Elijah Tillery (born 1957-08-08 in Staten Island, NY) is a former American boxer in the heavyweight division, nicknamed "Phoenix Steel".
Contents |
[edit] Amateur career
Tillery had an amateur record of 45-2.
[edit] Pro career
Tillery turned professional in 1980 and was a hard punching journeyman heavyweight during his career. He is best know for his two fights against Riddick Bowe in 1991. His first fight with Bowe is known for its bizarre conclusion. Bowe dominated the first round and dropped Tillery. After the round ended, Tillery walked toward Bowe and taunted him, and Bowe responded by punching Tillery. Tillery then landed several kicks on Bowe, and Bowe then unleashed a flurry of punches on Tillery as Tillery lay on the ropes. Bowe's trainer, Rock Newman, then grabbed Tillery and pulled him over the ropes as Bowe continued to throw punches. Tillery somersaulted over the ropes and was quickly detained by security. [1] After order was restored and the fighters returned to the ring, Tillery and Bowe continued a war of words, and there continued to be minor incidents as the ring was cleared. Tillery was disqualified for the fracas with Bowe getting the win, much to the surprise of the television annoucers. The fighters rematched two months later, with Bowe dominating and TKO'ing Tillery, his first TKO loss. Tillery's next fight was his last, a TKO loss to James Smith two years after his loss to Bowe.
[edit] Troubles Outside the Ring
Tillery was sentenced to nine years in prison in March of 2008 for hiding a sawed-off shotgun in a toy alligator in the back of his pickup truck. Before sentencing, Tillery read a 12-page statement about his life and cursed his attorney and the prosecutor. [2]
